Editing Mexican cuisine (section)

===Yucatán===
[[File:Lobster and shrimp ceviche.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Mexican [[ceviche]]]]
The food of the [[Yucatán Peninsula]] is distinct from the rest of the country. It is based primarily on [[Maya cuisine|Maya food]] with influences from the [[Caribbean cuisine|Caribbean]], Central Mexican, European (especially French) and [[Middle Eastern cuisine|Middle Eastern]] cultures.<ref name="umich">{{cite web |url=http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/MexicanFoods/ |title=Regional Foods of Mexico |date=10 April 2008 |publisher=University of Michigan |access-date=24 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113090908/http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/MexicanFoods/ |archive-date=13 January 2013}}</ref><ref name="mexconyuc">{{cite web |url=http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/2327-the-cuisine-of-the-yucatan-a-gastronomical-tour-of-the-maya-heartland |title=The cuisine of the Yucatan: a gastronomical tour of the Maya heartland |first=Karen Hursh |last=Graber |date=1 January 2006 |publisher=Mexconnect newsletter |issn=1028-9089 |access-date=24 October 2012}}</ref> As in other areas of Mexico, corn is the basic staple, as both a liquid and a solid food. One common way of consuming corn, especially by the poor, is a thin drink or gruel of white corn called by such names as [[pozol]] or keyem.<ref name="mexconyuc"/>

One of the main spices in the region is the annatto seed, called [[achiote]] in Spanish. It gives food a reddish color and a slightly peppery smell with a hint of nutmeg.<ref name="umich"/> Recados are seasoning pastes, based on achiote ([[recado rojo]]) or a mixture of [[habanero]] and chirmole<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mayan-yucatan-traveler.com/mayan-food-2.html |title=Yucatan Mayan Food |publisher=Mayan-yucatan-traveler.com |access-date=11 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828031701/http://www.mayan-yucatan-traveler.com/mayan-food-2.html |archive-date=28 August 2015}}</ref> both used on chicken and pork.

Recado rojo is used for the area's best-known dish, [[cochinita pibil]]. Pibil refers to the cooking method (from the Mayan word ''[[píib]]'', meaning "buried") in which foods are wrapped, generally in [[banana leaves]], and cooked in a [[Earth oven|pit oven]].<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/cochinita-pibil/ |contribution=Cochinita Pibil Recipe |title=Mexico—One Plate at a Time |first1=Rick |last1=Bayless |first2=JeanMarie |last2=Brownson |first3=Deann Groen |last3=Bayless |publisher=Scribner |date=Fall 2000 |access-date=26 November 2015}}</ref> Various meats are cooked this way. Habaneros are another distinctive ingredient, but they are generally served as (or part of) condiments on the side rather than integrated into the dishes.<ref name="mexconyuc"/>

[[File:Chefs.jpg|thumb|left|In [[Playa del Carmen]] Mexico, chefs don their standard uniforms|212x212px]]
A prominent feature of Yucatán cooking is the use of [[bitter orange]]s, which gives Yucatán food the tangy element that characterizes it. Bitter orange is used as a seasoning for broth, to marinate meat and its juice (watered down with sugar) is used as a refreshing beverage.<ref>Secrets from the Yucatecan Kitchen: red achiote & bitter orange marinade - Mid City Beat [http://www.midcitybeat.com/Secrets_of_Yucatecan_Kitchen_achiote_bitter_orange_marinade.html]</ref>

Honey was used long before the arrival of the Spanish to sweeten foods and to make a ritual alcoholic drink called [[balché]]. Today, a honey liquor called [[Xtabentun (liqueur)|xtabentun]] is still made and consumed in the region. The coastal areas feature several seafood dishes, based on fish like the [[Grouper|Mero]], a variety of [[Haemulidae|grunt]] and [[Cobia|Esmedregal]], which is fried and served with a spicy salsa based on the x'catic pepper and [[achiote paste]].<ref name="mexconyuc"/> Other dishes include conch fillet (usually served raw, just marinated in lime juice), coconut flavored shrimp and lagoon snails.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gringationcancun.com/2010/08/12/yucatan-seafood-ceviche-de-chivitas/ |title=Yucatan Seafood: Ceviche de Chivitas |work=Gringation Cancun |first=Laura |last=Winfree |date=12 August 2010 |access-date=11 September 2015}}</ref>

Traditionally, some dishes are served as [[entrée]]s, such as the brazo de reina (a type of tamale made from [[Chaya (plant)|chaya]]) and papadzules (egg tacos seasoned in a pumpkin seed gravy).<ref name="mexconyuc"/>

Street food in the area usually consists of Cochinita Pibil Tacos, [[Lebanon|Lebanese]]-based [[kibbeh]], [[shawarma]] tacos, snacks made from hardened corn dough called piedras, and fruit-flavored ices.

[[Lime soup]] made of chicken or some other meat such as pork or beef, lime juice and served with tortilla chips. Panucho made with a refried tortilla that is stuffed with refried black beans and topped with chopped cabbage, pulled chicken or turkey, tomato, pickled red onion, avocado, and pickled jalapeño pepper.

<gallery class="center">
File:Authentic_Cochinita_Pibil.jpg|Cochinita Pibil, a fire pit-smoked pork dish, seasoned with achiote, spices and [[Seville orange]]
File:Panucho3.jpg|[[Panucho]]
File:Frijol con puerco 01.JPG|''Frijol con puerco'' (beans with pork) prepared with beans, pork, [[epazote]], onion, cilantro, lemon, radishes and habanero chile
</gallery>